01_January

• Harvest hardy winter varieties of cabbages, cauliflowers and other brassicas, plus leeks, celeriac and root vegetables such as parsnips, swedes and winter radishes
• Spread well rotted manure or compost over empty beds
• Warm up areas of seedbeds by covering them with sheets
• Winter prune established apple and pear trees
• Check fruit cages for damage and make repairs if required
• Devise your sowing and planting plan for the year

Sow or plant
 in January
Broad beans - as long as the ground is not frozen sow broad beans, otherwise sow in pots and keep under cover until spring
Fruit trees and bushes - plant new bare root trees and bushes during the winter months when they are dormant
Garlic - plant only in mild areas and only if the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. Otherwise wait until February or March
Onions and Leeks - to give them the longest possible growing season sow seeds in modules and keep indoors at a temperature of at least 10C.
Peas - for a very early crop, sow seeds in pots under glass and harden off to plant outdoors in March or April
Rhubarb - plant new sets or divide and replant old crowns at any time during the winter. Rhubarb will happily tolerate the cold but doesn’t like being waterlogged